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DEC. 21, 2012 ISSUE 3 VOLUME 51

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‘GBS Connects’ unites students, professionals in open-atmosphere setting Aaron Ach

FIVE SECOND CHANCE:

staff reporter GBS Connects, an all-day opportunity for South students to meet with professionals in careers they are considering pursuing in the future, occurred Dec. 12.

Staff members and Guidance Department administrators had this idea last year and hoped to host the program with other 50-year anniversary celebrations. The organization ended up being too much to do by the end of the 2011-2012 school year, so it was held this year, according to head of Student Services Dr. Lara Cummings and guidance counselor Socorro Rogers.

“We originally had the idea of bringing in GBS [alumnus], have them give back to [South] in a way and have them provide [students] with [insights like], ‘What does it take to [do] my current career?’”

Rogers said. “It connects the content that [students] learn now to that particular career.”

By postponing the event, the Guidance Department was able to work in conjunction with the Glenview Chamber of Commerce to involve local businesses’ participation in GBS Connects.

“We have over 200 presenters that are coming at this time [and] six different sessions,” Cummings said before the event. “There are [about] 1,100 possible sessions that students will be participating in.”

Delivering a seminar to South juniors and seniors about résumés and job etiquette, keynote speaker Brad Karsh asks the crowd how many of them have held jobs. Karsh explained that employers only take about five seconds to review each job application. Photo by

Wyatt Richter

See GBS CONNECTS page 2

NEWS

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OPINIONS

6

FEATURES

13

A&E

15

SPORTS

18

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news

Dec. 21, 2012

Chicago Tribune recognizes district as ‘Top Workplace’ Rosie Kelly

staff reporter

Illustration by Nimisha Perumpel

District 225 was named one of the top 100 workplaces in the Chicagoland area by the Chicago Tribune in November.

District 225 was ranked as the 28th midsize company.

The results were divided into three categories: small, midsize (with between 250 and 999 employees) and large companies. This was the district’s first time receiving the recognition.

Math teacher Leanne Hotton thinks South’s overall philosophy contributed to achieving the ranking.

“There is an overall desire to help the students grow as individuals and prepare them for the world they will enter as young adults,” Hotton said. “It’s all about the kids, and it should be.”

Companies are nominated by individual employees and are then invited to participate in a survey.

Superintendent Dr. Michael Riggle said an anonymous staff member from North nominated the district.

Employees then take the online survey, and the results are analyzed by WorkplaceDynamics LLP, the company that produced the survey. According to its website, WorkplaceDynamics has been working with companies publications around the decided to country to rank top participate workplaces in the survey. since 2006.

R i g g l e wasn’t surprised that discompanies trict staff meminvited to bers are content participate with their workin a survey place.

“I think this district has really been outstanding for de-

cades,” Riggle said. “It’s simply [that] the approach to education [...] is on target with the way teachers would like to work.”

According to Riggle, the survey was given to district employees last spring. A total of 584 out of 778 district employees participated, well over the 35 percent of company employees required to take the survey.

While taking the survey, employees answered 23 questions using a seven-point scale about their opinion of their workplace, according to the Tribune. WorkplaceDynamics found an overall score for each company and used that to determine the top 100.

District 225 was one of four workplaces in the education of District sector, according to 225 the Tribune. Other employees winners included

took the survey.

The date that Chicago Tribune announced the top workplaces

Joliet Township High School District 204, ranked 21 in midsize companies, and Loyola University Chicago, ranked 21 in large companies.

Principal Dr. Brian Wegley believes the students and his co-workers make the district an ideal workplace.

“We have colleagues of the [absolute] highest caliber, and we have students who are tremendous people and driven and goal-oriented,” Wegley said. “It just creates an environment that is very rewarding.”

English teacher Cheryl Hope, a teacher at South for the past 20 years, feels that there’s a difference between District 225’s working environment and other schools.

“This is a place where we’re treated as professionals and […] Glenview and Northbrook are excellent communities that expect excellence,” Hope said. “I don’t know anyone here who would tolerate being a mediocre teacher.”

An outcome in the survey is getting recommendations back from WorkplaceDynamics on ways to improve the company, according to the Patch. Riggle and his staff will analyze the data they receive from the survey to determine what they can do to improve working conditions.

“I think we’re in a constant state of wanting to improve,” Riggle said. “We’d like to improve because the ultimate result is students get a better learning environment.”

Wegley feels hopeful about the future of South and South’s workplace. “[The District] keeps its eyes on the future and on District 225’s stability and reranking in the maining a very quality place, midsize which I think companies creates a situacategory tion where you feel confident in the future of [the district],” Wegley said.

Indispensable knowledge: school’s recycling processes elude students Richard Pearl staff reporter

“It seems to me now, more than when I was a freshman, that people are more interested in[environmental responsibility]….That’s a good sign because it shows that people are really more conscious of their environmental actions than they may have previously been.”

-Austin Bream, Project Earth president

South started using a process called single-stream recycling in 2009 and is served by Waste Management, according to Mike Calucci, South’s plant manager.

This means that all trash and recycled materials are placed in a single dumpster, and then the material is later separated by Waste Management.

South has two dumpsters that are eight cubic feet each, and are picked up twice a week

by Waste Management.

South tried a technique where students were responsible for using the correct disposal bin before switching to single-stream recycling.

However, the technique failed, according to science teacher Jim Glynn.

news

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Dec. 21, 2012

Yearbook earns place in publication Hall of Fame Ruhi Bhaidani

staff reporter South’s yearbook, Etruscan, will be inducted into the National Scholastic Press Association’s (NSPA) Hall of Fame on April 27, 2013, according to Grace Christiansen, NSPA contest and critique coordinator.

NSPA provides an opportunity for publications to be graded against a professional journalists’ rubric. According to yearbook adviser Brenda Field, any publication wanting to make it into the Hall of Fame has to win 10 All-American honor ratings, or ‘perfect scores’, consecutively within an 11-year span. “[The All-American honor is] a first place award, but then it also has to have marks of distinction in at least four of the five major categories,” Field said.

The NSPA website says that in order to win an AllAmerican honor rating, judges comment and score publications in categories such as coverage, writing and design.

According to the site, the composite score from all sections gives the publication an honor rating ranging from Third Class to All-American.

Senior Casey Chiappetta, Etruscan co-editor in chief, thinks that Etruscan has been inducted into the Hall of Fame because of South’s interesting student body.

“I think we want to put out the best book possible, and we want the book to showcase both our talents and the school’s talents,” Chiappetta said. “We’re only really doing the school justice with our book. I don’t think GBS could have been done justice with any less of a quality.”

Chiappetta also believes that the staff’s hard work has contributed to Etruscan’s induction into the Hall of Fame. According to Chiappetta, when she was doing her first story for Etruscan, Kate Henning, South alumna and former Etruscan editor, sat down with her and went through her entire rough draft.

“For three hours we sat there and wrote my copy, wrote my captions, and I couldn’t have done that without her and her drive to put the best book forward,” Chi-

HAIL TO THE CHIEFS: Crafting the yearbook, seniors Casey Chiapetta and Elizabeth Quinones, Etruscan co-editors in chief, collaborate in the yearbook office. Etruscan is one of 15 yearbooks in Illinois to be inducted into the National Scholastic Press Association’s (NSPA) Hall of Fame, according to Grace Christiansen, NSPA contest and critique coordinator. Photo by JP O’Rourke

appetta said. “And I think having that experience makes me want to put every copy that we read and that we write to be the best version possible into that book.”

According to Field, Etruscan’s main goal is not to win awards. Rather, it is to reflect the events that occurred throughout the year so that 10 or 20 years down the road, former students can accurately remember South.

“Awards like this are icing on the cake,” Field said.

“The best [day] of the year is always distribution day

when we get to see the book in the hands of the rest of the students in the school.”

Senior Elizabeth Quinones, Etruscan co-editor in chief, believes that the induction will have an overall positive influence on the yearbook staff. “[The induction] makes us work harder because we have set our standards so high,” Quinones said. “We want to keep that standard and keep proving ourselves and making our book better than it is in the past.”

GBS CONNECTS, continued from front page The businesses that the Student Services Department decided to include were based on a selection of career paths of students’ choices. The data used to decide which professionals to consult was gathered from Naviance and a survey designed solely for GBS Connects, Cummings said.

“Our goal was to find what the needs and the desire of the student was and to find an occupation,” Cummings said. “If the student selected pharmacist and we didn’t have one, then we were out[...]recruiting a pharmacist and found one.”

From DePaul University’s women’s basketball coach to a restaurant owner to an aviation panel, at least one person from nearly every occupation listed in the GBS Connects pamphlet came in to speak with students, ac-

cording to Cummings.

The program focused on each student and their interests, hence the wide range of interests and professions that students had the opportunity to make connections with, according to Rogers.

“It’s just thrilling that GBS put this together [for students to have] a sampling of all these careers,” Dr. Patricia Buckley, clinical psychologist and psychotherapist, said.

“My son graduated from [South] last year, and I just emailed him saying, ‘Oh, I wish you could have done this!’”

Rogers said the program allowed students to relate the material they are learning in their classes to potential future careers.

“It exposes students to careers that they, at this point in time, are interested in,” Rogers said. “I think it’s so valuable for someone to sit in front of a physical therapist

“It exposes students to careers that they, at this point in time, are interested in.”

-Guidance Counselor Socorro Rogers

ACT/SAT After-school & evening classes at GBS

Review sessions are available for English, Science & Math.

Classes begin Thursday, Jan 24 Sign up in the bookstore now - or see Mrs. Libman (in the English Dept.) for more info

[for example] and say, ‘Wow, I really want to do that’ or ‘Wow, I would never want to do that.’”

Rogers and Cummings hope a similar event can occur once every other year so students can explore more than four careers before they graduate.

Freshman Alex Remunik believes that the day had an effect on his future career choices.

“I think it [helps] because it could answer any questions you still have about [a career] and clear up things,” Remunik said.

Brett Clark, District 34 public representative who spoke about journalism, hopes that students saw the value in hearing from people with real-life experience about different careers.

“If I am helping some of the kids decide that they might like it or they might not, I think is really valuable as they start deciding what they’re [going to] do down the road,” Clark said.

4

Dec. 21, 2012

is published monthly by students at Glenbrook South High School, 4000 W. Lake Ave., Glenview, IL 60026.

The opinions expressed in The Oracle are that of the writer(s) and not necessarily of the staff or school.

The Oracle neither endorses nor rejects the products and services advertised.

editors in chief

Sarah Jaleel Kathryn Jaslikowski

news editors Tammy Craven Faith Savaiano

opinions editors Bailey Monte Emma Sailer

features editors

Camille (CJ) Park Zoë Shancer

a&e editors

Maddie Abrams Rachel Mann

sports editors John Adkisson Ethan Spalding

web editors

Mary Friedman Ben Kraus

illustrations editor Ellen Takagi

photos editor Evan Richter

asst. news Carolyn Kelly

asst. opinions Julia Jacobs

asst. features

Shea Anthony Elisa Kim Madison O’Brien

asst. a&e Sally You

asst. sports

Rachel Chmielinski

asst. web

Kelsey Pogue Madeleine Salah

asst. photos Wyatt Richter

adviser

Marshall Harris

Letters to the Editor We would love to hear from you! Write a letter to the editor at gbsoracle@gmail.com.

The editorial board reserves the right to edit letters, being careful not to alter intent.

Signed letters may be published anonymously with the consent of the letter writer, the adviser, and the editors in chief.

The editorial expresses the opinion of the majority of the editorial board and not necessarily that of the publisher, adviser, school administration or staff.

editorial

Teens lack understanding of “sexting” repercussions

When you are called down to the office your mind wanders as to sexting is occurring between an adult and a minor. It is common for what it could be about. Maybe you lost your ID, or maybe your bad South students to be involved in relationships with younger or older parking jobs are finally catching up to you. Either way, you will at students and it’s these students that are at the greatest chance of beleast be able to move on with your classes, high school and your in- ing potential perpetrators. tended future.

Seniors who are 18 and are charged with possession or distribuFor New Trier students this September, that wasn’t the case. tion of child pornography are at risk for large fines, jail time and havLinda Yonke, New Trier HS superintendent, sent out an email to ing to register as a sex offender for the rest of their lives. When imagparents Friday, Sept. 14 stating that, “New Trier administrators re- ining a sex offender, we don’t visualize one of our peers, but these cently were made aware of allegations that some of our students had are the consequences, and they follow you for the rest of your life. transmitted text messages or emails containing inappropriate picThe Oracle Editorial Board asks students to realize that sexting tures to other students” and that they had turned the information when either party is a minor is illegal. You might think you’re sendover to Winnetka Police. ing a picture to your boyfriend or girlfriend whom you trust, but acVery little official information has been released regarding punish- cording to the ISBA, 25 percent of teen girls and 33 percent of teen ment or students involved. boys admit they have been forwarded sext messages that were origiAccording to Nicole Dizon, New Trier director of communica- nally meant for someone else. tions, “Due to the ongoing police investigation and student privacy If you receive explicit pictures of someone else, delete them from issues, the district cannot provide any details.” your phone immediately. Do not forward or spread these images beNew Trier senior Caitlin Bischoff says that the scandal majorly in- cause the second you do you are committing the offense of distrivolved a group of junior boys who had images of naked female stu- bution of child pornography if the picture is of a minor. The consedents on their phones. After turning over the information to Winnet- quences are great and follow you for the rest of your life; don’t put ka Police, many of the perpetrators had to get lawyers. your reputation and future at stake for the pleasure of someone else.

According to the Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA), the premier legal association in the state of Illinois, “sexting” is the practice of sending nude or semi-nude pictures by cell phone or other electronic media. Additionally, one in five teenagers has sent sexually suggestive, nude or semi-nude “sext” messages by phone or otherwise.

A similar situation occurred at Springman MidDRAMATIZATION dle School last year. Many girls received explicit images via text by a group of boys. This resulted in suspension and other disciplinary action.

The Oracle Editorial Board urges students to refrain from sending these “sext” messages, for it can be damaging to your image and future.

Students often snicker when they hear “sexting”, but it’s clearly both common and criminal. The Oracle Editorial Board hopes that South students realize just how serious this issue is. If you send naked pictures of yourself and you are under 18, you are committing a crime.

Illinois changed the law in 2010, making it a misdemeanor for minors to receive or distribute child pornography or “sexts”.

Misdemeanors can result in hefty fines and sometimes jail time. Yet under INDECENT EXPOSURE: Oblivious to the consequences of his actions, a teen receives a sexually explicit text message. According to the Child Pornography the Illinois State Bar Association, “a sexting minor, or a recipient of a sext message from a minor, may have committed one or more Act, it is still a felony if the felonies under the Illinois Child Pornography Act.” Photo by Wyatt Richter

The Oracle Editorial Board Vote

Agree: 25

Disagree: 0

Shooting reminds South to practice safety Student responds to Oracle content

In Newtown, CT, a shooter entered Sandy Hook Elementary School Dec. 14 carrying at least two handguns. The death toll is clear: 27 innocent people are dead and 20 of them were between the ages of six and seven.

This senseless tragedy should serve as a reminder to the Glenbrook South community that no school is immune to such catastrophic crimes. The Oracle Editorial Board prompts students to be mindful of any suspicious activity in the hallways and to alert an adult immediately if any unrecognizable person attempts to enter the building without proper permission.

The Editorial Board would like to remind South that our Guidance Department is open to help students digest the horrific event. If students feel endangered by themselves or others, they should seek help from our Guidance Department immediately. Even though it can seem like these incidents are isolated, we should recognize these events can happen anywhere. For this reason, South has taken many steps to prevent these acts of violence, so we should not live in complete fear.

Including the 1999 Columbine shooting, there have been at least 60 school shootings where at least one person has been killed, according to Michael Roberts of blogs.westword.com. The Editorial Board asks the student body and staff to keep this in mind as we enter the second semester and mourn the loss of 27 innocent people. We commend the administration for the safety measures currently in place and ask students to cooperate The Oracle Editorial Board Vote to ensure the wellof our comAgree: 24 Abstain: 1 Disagree: 0 being munity.

A letter to the editor...

Dear Editorial Board, This weekend, I found a copy of the Oracle on my bedroom floor and realized that I hadn’t even opened it yet. Flipping through the pages, I came across the story about divorced parents. I was eager to read it but quickly found that I was disappointed. All of the quotes were from people who said that their parents’ divorce added stress and inconvenience to their lives with only one kid saying that the situation didn’t really affect him all that much. My parents are currently in a loveless marriage and only stay together for financial reasons and for my siblings and me. What they don’t realize is what a relief it would be if they finally got divorced. The tense silence, the tiptoeing around and the horrible fights would be over. We would be separate, but we would be immensely happier than we are now. I just wish that the writer had incorporated a quote in the story from someone in a situation similar to mine so that the student body would realize that divorce isn’t always a horrible thing.

In fact, it’s one of the best things that could happen to our family for the sake of our happiness. The article was well-written and informational; I just felt that the other side of divorce, the non-ugly side, was unrepresented. This is just for your consideration as you work to produce your upcoming issues of the paper. Keep up the great job and thank you for being an excellent source of information for the student body.

Sincerely, An Anonymous Student

opinions

5

Dec. 21, 2012

Petraeus’s legacy should lie in profession, not personal life

Chris Callahan

columnist Political sex scandals seem a dime a dozen these days.

Bill Clinton, Herman Cain, Anthony Weiner, John Edwards…the list goes on.

It may be getting a little old and tired – but even the cover of Time Magazine for the week of Nov. 26 featured an image of a military officer’s torso with the words “THE PETRAEUS AFFAIR” in big red letters. Inside, the cover story was rather aptly named “Spyfall”.

Time, like every other news outlet over the past month or so, was lending its own touch to the downfall of General David Petraeus, former director of the CIA until he resigned last month. Spoiled a bit by the bad James Bond pun, perhaps, but they did their best.

I doubt anyone knows the whole truth of the scandal that brought down Petraeus, two women, and possibly another four-star general. But the story goes something like this: according to Time, Petraeus had, for two years, been having an affair with his biographer, Paula Broadwell. Pretty generic stuff. It gets more complicated

though.

Allegedly, Broadwell and another woman named Jill Kelley exchanged emails that may have contained national security secrets, though no one really knows.

Even weirder, Kelley may have been having an affair with General John Allen, the leader of the allied forces in Afghanistan and nominee for NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander. Though Allen denies the affair, the allegations were enough to put his nomination on hold.

To top it all off, all of this came out two days after Election Day. However, the exact facts of the story are irrelevant. What is relevant is the media frenzy over the scandal.

People obviously had a boatload to say, but I’m not just talking about pseudo-news like People. Time obviously devoted a huge part of their issue to the story. According to CNN’s Howard Kurtz, there is a media campout right outside Kelley’s house. The scandal was even on Señor Zamora’s news intro for Period 7 three classes in a row, which is saying something. Why do we care so much?

General Petraeus is a human being. He screwed up and had an affair. I’m not going to say “we all do it”, because we don’t, but it’s a human mistake. Unfortunately, society at large seems to take these things and run with them, as if they have endangered the survival of the human race.

Take Bill Clinton for an example. We all know he had an affair with Monica Lewinsky during his presidency

Thomas “founding father” Jefferson denied all allegations of having an affair with his slave, Sally Hemings, during his first Presidential term. In 1999, it was proven that a descendant of Eston Hemings (Sally’s son) carried Jefferson DNA.

Newt “Three wives in four decades” Gingrich divorced his first wife as she recovered from surgery for uterine cancer to marry his mistress. Then, after a six-year affair with a congressional intern, Gingrich divorced again to wed his new flame.

Bill “I did not have sexual relations with that woman” Clinton

was impeached in 1998 for alleged sexual relations with Monica Lewinsky. Clinton’s semen stain found on Lewinsky’s blue dress proved his guilt, but the Senate pardoned Clinton from the perjury accounts.

Dwight “World War Womanizer” Eisenhower had an affair with Kay Summersby, his driver in World War II, that was swept under the rug until 1975 when Summersby’s autobiography revealed their intimacy.

Band of Rascals

Graphic by Wyatt Richter

and probably with more women at other times. But when we think about Bill Clinton, that’s what we think about.

Not the fact that he ran a budget surplus or had the best economic times in fifty years, or even that he gave the orders to bomb Kosovo. His affair basically determined how his administration has been perceived since then, even though it was a private matter.

What are we demanding out of our leaders? We can’t expect them to be perfect. It’s regrettable that Petraeus felt like he had to resign. He’s an experienced leader and the country needs him, regardless of what he does with other women.

The media may have some basis for their frenzy; it is suspected that national security secrets were emailed between several of the players in the scandal, and the scandal was held from the public for a short time. However, they blew it out of proportion by focusing on the wrong parts of the story. People magazine doesn’t talk about national secrets; they talk about juicy gossip.

The personal lives of our leaders should not be a bigger deal than how they conduct themselves in office. In the context of Petraeus and the CIA, we should be focusing on things like the bombing in Benghazi, Libya, a CIA investigation that is still going on but has been obscured by the recent scandal. This incident may well shape our relations with the Muslim world for the foreseeable future. Leave the sex scandals in the bedroom and the private world where they belong.

Faithful to their country, unfaithful to their wives

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opinions

Dec. 21, 2012

South not immune from racist “jokes,” stereotypes Camille (CJ) Park

a&e editor Victoria’s Secret is well known for their controversial slip-ups, varying from Photoshop fails to child labor accusations. The most recent controversy involved model Karlie Kloss strutting down the catwalk, flaunting lean legs, toned abs and best of all, a floor-touching headdress and tribal animal-print lingerie, decked out with a matching turquoise obi necklace and belt.

I’m sure some viewers were likely to disregard the controversial attire, but I recognized something: it’s racist.

To some, this may be an obvious statement of racism while to others it may not seem racist at all. These two views encompass the very dilemma our society faces today: is racism over? Are racial stereotypes socially acceptable?

No, racism is not over, and racial stereotypes are in no way acceptable.

I love Vicky’s Hush-hush as much as the next gal, but I fully support the underwear industry’s decision to discontinue the outfit. As Victoria’s Secret presented in exemplary fashion, racial stereotyping is a societal issue, not just a personal one. Society has grown accustomed to racist remarks and even accepts them as a laughing matter, and South is no different.

We all want to believe South is a safe haven, but like the rest of society, South students are not immune to racism on both the giving and receiving end.

In fact, nobody, including adults and public figures, is immune.

In an Oracle-conducted survey of 240 students, 70 percent said that racism exists at South.

I’m glad that the majority of students recognize the issue, but perhaps the opposing 30 percent are unable to detect what is and what is not racist.

As inaccurate portrayals of certain races become more prominent in the media, the acceptance of such portrayals increases. Cultural appropriation, the adoption of certain elements of one culture, is everywhere, and because it’s so widespread, racial stereotyping has become the norm.

Christine Toy Johnson, a well-established Asian American actress, explained that she once, “lost a job […] because the producer wanted ‘a regular girl’.”

I’d like to see someone try to define “a regular girl.” Asian Americans, like other minorities, have certain roles established for them such as the submissive “Chinadoll” manicurist or the desexualized foreign martial artist.

In a Jeff Adachi documentary, The Slanted Screen, Asian American male actors and filmmakers discuss how the media’s portrayal of race influences the audience’s perspective but also, how the audience dislikes minorities on-screen. For example, producers discarded the romantic relationship between Asian actor Jet Li and a white female in response to negative responses from a sample audience.

These established roles for minorities sue is the “colorblind” method, a method are not solely based on producers casting of ignoring somebody’s race and treat“regular girls” and “desexualized” minor- ing everyone equally, but equal to who? ities, but audience demand as well. The Equal to white people? portrayal of races skews perspectives and Perhaps this theory appeals to some, appropriates cultures. but it ignores the issues surrounding race, Returning to Victoria’s Secret, the Kloss merely crippling the attempts of a univerincident was not the only one of it’s kind. sal understanding of racism.

Yep, they did it twice. Before it was disThe predominantly white area we live continued, Victoria’s Secret lingerie col- in also makes understanding more diflection, “Go East,” exhibited a provoca- ficult. The bubble of tive, kimono-style outfit called “Sexy South may feel Little Geisha,” promising “a ticket to an that racism is exotic adventure.” a thing of Victoria Secret’s controversies are prime the past; examples of (literally) stripping down a this, howculture to certain elements and then pub- ever, is licizing those aspects as the culture in its not the entirety. This incident is a more obvious case. form of cultural appropriation, but there are tons of examples teeming in the hallways of South.

Just because you don’t see race riots like those you learned about in history atSouth does not mean racism isn’t present, despite the difficulty some students may have comprehending this fact.

Racism is in people’s jokes, slurs, and subtle remarks − remarks on appearance, food, languages, academic and physical capabilities, religions and sex.

Racial stereotypes have been so ingrained into our society that they’ve become a habit, a bad habit. Like bad habits, it’s hard to acknowledge as a problem and equally as difficult to stop. Because of the subtleness of these racial stereotypes, those who may not experience racism on a daily basis find it harder to detect.

As an Asian American minority, I tend to be more apt to notice racist remarks, especially those directed at me. Not all Asians are related to Kim Jong Il, people. What does “so Asian” even mean? And is there really a correlation between my ethnicity and driving capabilities?

Nobody wants to admit to being a racist. Perhaps the term “racist” is too harsh; therefore, even if people use racial stereotypes, they consider them acceptable because they’re just “jokes” or, if minorities are lucky, sometimes they’re even “compliments.”

Those “jokes” and “compliments” are just ways of tearing a culture down by identifying it with one characteristic. I get good grades because I get good grades, not because I’m some Asian American “model minority.”

Racial stereotypes are still forms of racism, no matter how insignificant or well-intended they may seem. Even within the same race, people throw racial insults at each other. To stereotype within the same race only works to perpetuate the stereotypes and permit others to treat minorities in RAVISHING, YET RACIST: a similar manner.

Sporting tribal accesories in what many descibe as an ignorant portrayNow, the obvious quesal of Native American culture, Victotion is “how do we solve ria’s Secret model Karlie Kloss poses racism?” In a filmed inon the runway during the taping of the terview, Morgan Free2012 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. man answered this exThe company later apologized act question. His and excluded the footage from the broadcasting solution was, “Stop of the show a n d talking about it.” discontined No matter how the outfit. suave and persuaPhoto courtesy of Google sive Freeman’s Images voice is, the method he is trying to pur-

Not all Asians are related to Kim Jong Il, people. What does “so Asian” even mean?

And is there really a correlation between my ethnicity and driving capabilities?

Then how do we stop? First, accept it.

Accept the fact racism is still abundant, even in today’s society, and you, yes you, are guilty of racial stereotyping.

Second, be aware. I’m not asking for everyone to become a racial minority rights advocate. I’m asking you to think about how you could be offending someone by racially stereotyping. Be aware of subtle racist remarks, question somebody’s choice to racially stereotype, and with these steps, America can work towards claiming it’s racially-just aura it seems to yearn for.

There is no easy solution. Even these two seemingly effortless actions will be difficult, so I’ve made it my burden to tell you: learn better jokes, buy a dictionary for the next time you want to describe something as “so Asian,” and before you think you’re funny by cracking a racist joke, think about how your words are perpetuating the very stereotypes that I and so many others are struggling to break.

Think about how much progress is being erased by your “harmless” joke and how your words are adding to the world’s ignorance.

opinions

7

Dec. 21, 2012

Holiday Gift Ideas

FOR GUYS Will Gould

columnist

Sport Tickets

LONG TERM RELATIONSHIP

Your boyfriend gets to do something he enjoys, and he gets to experience it with you. It is important that you aren’t in a new relationship when you get this gift because it can be pricey and a long game can be awkward if you realize you don’t enjoy his company halfway through.

NOT SO SOCIAL DRINKER: Searching for a way to cope, a teen turns from drinking at parties on weekends to drinking alone on school nights. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 90 percent of drinking by underaged persons is in the form of binging. Photo by Emma Sailer

Alcohol abuse is dangerously easy to overlook But who’s to say that when you’re having a rough day you won’t remember how relaxed you felt drinking and wind up alone in your room using alcohol to feel better? You’re starting to rely on it to cope with life, and that’s alcohol abuse.

Obviously you’ve crossed a line, but it takes a lot of willpower to resist a quick Claire Fisher release when you’re at your lowest point. columnist Suddenly it’s a lot harder to limit your alAs children we are taught to believe cohol consumption to a few drinks on the that when the clock strikes midnight and weekend.

But according to social worker David we embark on our twenty-first year of life, a magical alcohol ban lifts from our bod- Hartman, alcohol abuse can even manifest ies. Once we grow a little older, it becomes on a smaller scale too.

“Kids who are rationalizing their use of clear that there is no such thing.

When we reach this point in our lives, it alcohol, like, ‘I can’t talk to boys unless I may be easy to take a couple of swigs from drink,’ or ‘I can’t have fun unless I drink’ a red plastic cup without walking away in [...] all those things are denying the impact handcuffs, but it can be harder to face the that alcohol has,” Hartman said.

After all, if you can’t handle the little consequences of what seems like “harmless partying.” When a 17-year-old tran- things of life sober, what are you going sitions from alcohol use to alcohol abuse, to do when the bigger problems, like a they sometimes don’t realize it’s abuse at breakup or family problems, occur?

The thing is, no one all. wants to admit they’re losWe all know alcohol is The thing is, no ing self-control on any levphysically addictive. Ac- one wants to admit el. In the same Oracle-concording to projectknow.com, ducted survey, 65 percent when alcohol is consumed, a they’re losing selfperson develops a tolerance, control on any level. of students admitted to knowing a teenager with meaning they have to drink more alcohol to feel “buzzed” or to get an alcohol problem, while only 3 percent of students thought that they had an aldrunk.

The Centers for Disease Control and cohol problem themselves; the numbers Prevention (CDC) defines alcohol abuse don’t quite match up.

According to the CDC, teens who start as a pattern of drinking that results in harm to one’s health, interpersonal rela- drinking before the age 15 are five times tionships or ability to work. According to more likely to develop alcohol depenlivestrong.com, alcohol abuse can cause dence later in life than those who begin depression, low self esteem, argumenta- drinking after age 21. Alcohol depentiveness, weight gain, a disinterest in pre- dence, or alcoholism, is a physical addicviously pleasurable activities, a drop in tion to alcohol and is the most severe type of alcohol problem. grades and recklessness.

Obviously not everyone who drinks in Of course, alcohol can be more than physically addictive. Heavy drinking as high school will go on to develop alcoa teenager can cause growth effects, long- holism or alcohol abuse, but just because term cognitive damage, neurologic injury drinking is fun now doesn’t mean it won’t and higher chance of liver damage to the ever lead to alcohol problems later on down the road. developing body.

Whether or not you’re going to drink in Despite these potentially adverse consequences, 49 percent of South students high school and how much you’re going drink alcohol at varying frequencies ac- to drink is your decision, but you should cording to an Oracle-conducted survey first feel like you can refuse a drink and of 293 students. This is no shock; experi- become aware of why you’re drinking in menting with alcohol is often shrugged the first place. Then it’s up to you to decide if it’s worth it to take another sip. off as “typical adolescent behavior.”

There’s no way she’s going to forget a day full of activities in a snowy, downtown setting. This is the perfect opportunity for you both to have a ton of fun and make some lasting memories.

Magazine Subscription

Show/Museum Tickets These are a great way to show her you take an interest in the things she’s interested in doing, even if it may conflict with your own interests. Sorry boys, you might have to sit through Swan Lake for this one.

Shoes

Mixtape

A CD is a perfect way to not only show her how much you’ve paid attention to her taste in music, but it’s also a great way to compliment her dearly. Although sappy love songs could seem generic, if you explain in a nice card how they apply to her, you could be in for a very romantic gift.

A good pair of classic canvas skate shoes looks good on anyone, and they’re relatively cheap. It’s a gift that he will make great use of, and you get to choose a pair of shoes that you think look good. I recommend Converse All Stars ($45 to $50) or Vans Authentics ($42).

TV Show Season Making your way through an entire season together, watching an episode or so a weekend, can be fun and something to look forward to and talk about through out the week. It can be a little more on the expensive side depending on the show and number of episodes.

Charm Bracelet

Trip to the City

Date Night

The perfect last-minute gift, you can make the subscription online and then give him a card. I haven’t paid for my own magazine subscriptions in years; I just keep asking other people to get them for me every holiday season.

columnist This gift will stick out in particular because of its unique qualities that happen to be more personal than your average piece of jewelry. Anyone can buy a heart shaped necklace, but with a charm bracelet you’d be getting a much better gift for a very similar price.

Generally, the guy is the one bringing his girlfriend out and paying for the date.

It’s really nice to get treated to a fancy dinner every now and then, and a Christmas gift is the perfect excuse to bring him out.

DRAMATIZATION

FOR GALS

Rosie Nash

Picture and Frame The perfect sentimental gift that she can keep by her bedside table, this is especially a good one for couples who will soon be off to college. If you want to take it to the next level, get a personally engraved picture frame. (“Things Remembered” in Old Orchard makes nice ones).

Sweatshirt

Pottery Painting Date

CDs/Vinyls

First Movie Together

Another gift that he will use all the time, and as a bonus, it’s the kind of clothing you can borrow from him when you’re cold. Just like the shoes, you get the opportunity to choose something that you like.

There’s something about holding the physical thing, rather than owning an .mp3 file on a computer. It doesn’t matter if you like the music you’re getting him. In fact, it’ll probably mean even more to him if it’s not your favorite band.

Basket o’ Candy Girls aren’t the only ones who like chocolate. Any drugstore will have a candy aisle, and those places are open nearly year-round, if not actually year-round.

Find a few of his favorite snacks, and wrap a ribbon around them. A solid gift in a pinch.

Another great way to make tangible memories in a creative way that she won’t forget. This is especially great because you’ll end up with something each to keep and have a ton of fun while making it.

Although last minute, this will show you cherish the things you two have already done together. It’s a great chance to give meaning to a small event which could have seemed insignificant.

Basket of Goodies

NEW RELATIONSHIP

There’s no doubt she won’t appreciate your efforts for putting together something nice for her to unwrap, and she’ll have a ton of fun picking out all the things that you’ve noticed about her.

Examples- stuffed animal, candy and fuzzy socks.

8

reviews

Dec. 21, 2012

:

thrilling the hobbit is so freakin awesome yo’ action and timeless storytelling strike perfect balance Julia Jacobs

asst. opinions editor Though I’ve always yearned to be a part of the Tolkein fandom, I’m not going to pretend I went to The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey sporting slightly pointed ears and shoeless feet. In truth, it took me months to trudge through the book: the map bewildered me, the names were too hard to remember and the writing was too bare bones for my taste.

But this film, the first of the Hobbit trilogy, enchanted me in a way the book did not. It transformed the colorless map into a vivid landscape, gave each of the dwarves a face and a distinct character and delivered action so lightning-fast that my vision began to blur.

The adventure commences 60 years before The Lord of the Rings, focusing in on Frodo’s uncle Bilbo who, in this tale, makes the decision to desert his comfortable hobbit hole-in-the-ground for a life filled with constant peril. Bilbo begrudgingly follows Gandalf, the gray-bearded wizard, on a journey with 13 dwarves to take revenge on Smaug, the ruthless dragon that occupies their homeland (Erebor) and hoards their riches.

The simple challenge is getting from point A to point B: from Bilbo’s home (filmed in the exquisite hilly green of New Zealand) to the Lonely Mountain, where Smaug

resides. But constant conflict with the creatures of Middle-earth, including bloodthirsty orcs, goblins and trolls, peppers the film with moments of intense struggle, providing Bilbo with opportunities to show he belongs.

Because the story is a mosaic of near-death experiences, the cast uses a necessary dose of impish humor to lighten the mood. This technique seems to work, even in the case of the often-somber Gandalf who often speaks to Bilbo like a quick-as-a-whip teacher would to his cleverest, cockiest student.

The film deepens the relationship between Gandalf and Bilbo by constantly revisiting the question on everyone’s mind: why is Bilbo even here? Ian McKellen (Gandalf) is brilliant in showing his soft spot for the bumbling hobbit, asserting his belief that it is the actions of common men that keep evil at bay.

However, I would have liked to see more in return from Martin Freeman, who plays Bilbo. I never saw an inkling of fear playing in his eyes during the “Riddles in the Dark” scene where he plays a game of riddles with Gollum, who is far scarier than 1,000 charging orcs. Such an integral part of the story demanded more expression and desperation from Freeman as he used his wit to es-

Photo from Google images

cape the seemingly schizophrenic flesh-monger.

Otherwise, this scene was executed beautifully because the writers allowed a good chunk of time for it to gradually escalate towards an emotional peak. Though at first I was skeptical of The Hobbit being split into three full-length films, I realize now the gift the creators gave their audience. It is a Tolkein fan’s true paradise.

Instead of patching scenes together that are needed to further the plot, the film’s greatest strength is found in details like the intricate architecture of the underground goblin cavern, the haunting interpretation of the Dwarven Song and the story behind the dwarves’ lost home of Erebor that is so vital to the meaning of the journey.

Though I can count the number of women in this film on one hand and 27 animals died during production, my gripes with this film are few. Covering only six chapters in two hours and 46 nail-biting minutes, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is the beginning of what should be an award-winning trilogy and a must-see for wannabe hobbits and humans alike.

Photo from Google images

features

9

Dec. 21, 2012

TAKING A HIT:

DRAMATIZATION

Contrary to common belief, heroin is not always injected, but often snorted, according to Paula Nixon, former South student and recovering heroin addict. Heroin use has become increasingly prevalent among white suburban teens, according to a study by Roosevelt University’s Illinois Consortium on Drug Policy.

Photo by Evan Richter

Secret heroin problem spreads among North Shore youth ..

Zoe Shancer

co-features editor Paula Nixon, former South student, is currently a heroin addict. Nixon lost four friends to heroin overdoses, including her boyfriend, in an 18-month period. All were South or North graduates, and all were teenagers when they died.

Nixon’s mother, PJ Newberg, an alcohol and drug counselor with a Masters in psychology and counseling, is determined to spread awareness about the fatal use of heroin among young suburban people. Newberg created a Facebook page called “Northshore’s Secret Heroin Problem” and a website and began presentations in an attempt to save lives.

“Heroin has kind of become an epidemic in our community, and it’s really not just our little North Shore area – it’s every county,” Newberg said. “It’s the whole Chicago metro area.”

According to Newberg, the majority of new heroin users are white suburban teenagers. According to a study by Roosevelt University’s Illinois Consortium on Drug Policy, there was a 442 percent increase in users under the age of 17 and a 393 percent increase in users 18 through 20 between

1997 and 2000. This study asserts that Chicago and its suburban counties are suffering the worst heroin problem in America.

“Dealers come up to this area because they know there is a lot of money, and some of the kids are tricked into trying it, thinking it’s cocaine or something else,” Nixon said.

Nixon began using heroin at 16 and used for seven weeks before Newberg found out and put her in a 28-day program in a drug treatment facility. On day 25, Nixon’s boyfriend Dayne Poyser overdosed on heroin and died.

“It was horrific,” Newberg said. “[Nixon] was devastated, of course, and she got out [of treatment], and she did all the right things for several weeks.”

According to Newberg, Nixon lost two other friends to heroin overdoses and relapsed herself after getting out of treatment. When this occurred, Newberg knew she needed to take action.

“I thought if I could just get the word out, that’s my goal [...] to spread the news because all the research says there’s not a lot of education,” Newberg said.

Many are unaware of how physically addicting heroin i s , says Newberg.

According to a study

by Roosevelt University, many heroin users develop a dependence on opiate pills prior to using heroin. Heroin serves as a replacement when the pills become difficult to obtain. Opiate pills include prescription medications such as Oxycontin and Vicodin.

According to Newberg, heroin is readily available on the North Shore and is extremely cheap.

“You also do not have to inject [heroin],” Newberg said.

“You can just snort it. I think sometimes kids are at a party and some kids might not know what they’re doing, and it’s really heroin.”

Further, withdrawal from heroin is “horrible”, says Newberg. Symptoms include nausea, chills, vomiting, shaking and muscle cramps.

“It’s so physically addicting that you get to the point where you have to have the drug, and then it just leads down a bad path,” Newberg said.

Newberg believes heroin use is often accompanied by gangs, prostitution and crime. Nixon is currently in jail for issues related to her heroin use and completely regrets having used heroin, describing her

“Heroin is completely in a different league than other drugs.”

-Paula Nixon, former South student

experience as a “nightmare.”

“Heroin is completely in a different league than other drugs,” Nixon said.

“The high is not worth the consequences […] Once you start doing the drug more frequently, you don’t really live. It takes your life.”

Newberg has seen heroin take Nixon’s “heart and soul” and hopes that other parents won’t have to live in fear for their children’s lives. “[Nixon] was a wonderful kid, and this has basically changed, altered and affected her entire life, her family, her education, her future,” Newberg said.

Newberg led presentations alongside a researcher, police chiefs and recovering heroin addicts at both the Glenview and Northbrook Public Libraries on Aug. 14 and Nov. 12, respectively. She is hoping to expand her reach by presenting in other suburbs next year. “[At my presentations] I share my story from a parent’s perspective, and I bring in a recovering heroin addict to show that you can change, and there is a lot of help available, but it is difficult,” Newberg said.

Heroin is a vital topic to address, according to Newberg, and one around which there is much stigma. For more information, visit www.northshoresecretheroinproblem. com.

http://www.roosevelt.edu/

10

Calli Haramaras

staff reporter “Dear Santa, I am in fourth grade, I am nine years old, I go to Rogers School. Can I get a basketball please, I want one because my brother has one and he doesn’t let me play with it. If it’s a low price can I get an icebreaker, the watermelon kind? Also can I get a toy for my baby cousin that is a girl and one year old?”

This letter is from a student at Philip Rogers Elementary School in Chicago. He wrote to Santa through the program Letters to Santa.

Letters to Santa is a charity that South clubs and classes participate in every winter alongside Direct Effect Charities, a nonprofit organization that aids children and families living in poverty in Chicago.

Hellenic Club started the charity at South five to six years ago. Other clubs and activities that participate include Key Club, Poms, Erika’s Lighthouse and PE Leaders.

Students from South can participate through clubs, classes or individually to receive a “letter to Santa” from students, grades kindergarten through eighth, at Philip Rogers, living under the poverty level. Participants are required to spend $25 to $30 on their gift but can split the cost with others if they desire.

“The goal of Letters to Santa all comes down to just giving back to the community and being able to take time out of your day in order to appreciate the art of giving and not always receiving,” Stephanie Vinieratos, Hellenic Club president, said.

Gr ap

hi

cs

by Ev an

&

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ya t

tR

ich

te r

According to Lucinda Pouplikollas, Hellenic Club sponsor, the program originally started with only 100 letters, but now, over 800 letters are being distributed.

Junior Olivia Pullano participated through PE leaders for the first time this year. According to Pullano, her child asked for Transformers toys in his letter to Santa.

“It really means a lot to these kids to open a present and have a gift all to themselves,” Pullano said. “I’ll just be really happy knowing that I made someone’s day by giving them a Christmas gift that they normally wouldn’t get.”

Along with Pullano, Whitney Orlow, assessment coordinator at Philip Rogers, agrees that it is wonderful that the children can receive such nice gifts.

“One year, a kindergarten girl asked for a snow globe,” Orlow said. “She ended up getting two!

She was speechless. It is a much different experience to ask for a gift and receive exactly what you wanted from a total stranger.”

Pouplikollas expressed her take on charity.

“Even if you have a lot or a little, there’s always room to give,” Pouplikollas said.

HOLIDAY

To give back to the community during the ganize different charities. Students donate its of those less fortunate.

Addie Lyon

staff reporter

STAND-Y CANE:

Starting on Dec. 10, Stand for Peace sold candy canes and personal notes for 25 cents or more. Proceeds will be donated to Stand for Peace’s Latin America, Africa, South Asia or Southeast Asia project.

BEFRIEND A FAMILY:

Interact directed Befriend A Family, an organization that supports families who are unable to purchase gifts for their families due to financial reasons and provides them with things such as pots, pans, clothes, toys and school supplies.

11

CHARITIES

holidays, South students, clubs and classes ortime, money and gifts in order to lift the spir-

CASA CENTRAL:

Dec. 4, UNIDOS Club went to Casa Central, an agency in Chicago that serves the Latino population, including financially unstable senior citizens. UNIDOS created goodie bags of winter attire, toiletries, writing tablets and pens.

HOLIDAY FOSTER CARE PARTY:

Dec. 7, Interact hosted the Holiday Foster Care Party event at the Glen in which they made crafts and swam in the pools with the kids to celebrate the holidays.

ONWARD HOUSE GOODY BAGS:

During the holidays, the Onward House students prepare goody bags to give to the kids they tutor. They give them things such as healthy snacks, holiday-themed pencils, notebooks and erasers.

ASL Winter Clothing Drive Julianne Arnold

staff reporter The holiday season is filled with charities, from acting as a child’s “Secret Santa” to donating money and food for people in need. Each year, drives are held, donations are collected and people are helped.

This year, the American Sign Language (ASL) Program at South sponsored a collection of donations of winter clothing for the Chicago Children’s Advocacy Center (CCAC), an organization committed to recognizing and responding to both families and children who have suffered from sexual abuse, according to the CCAC’s official website.

The donations that were collected included new, gently used or homemade mittens, hats, scarves and sweatshirts for children ages five to 15. The donations, which went to the CCAC’s Winter Collection, provide sexually abused, homeless children with warm clothes for winter.

Senior Nikkole Gomez was the driving force in getting South involved in the clothing drive.

She heard about it from a church, St. Francis Borgia, in Evanston. Father Joe, a priest at St. Francis Borgia, helps out with the drive every year.

“I think [Father Joe] is an amazing person; he’s really intelligent,” Gomez said. “And he does this every year [...] He loves to help out the kids who are less fortunate than us.”

Gomez’s aunt, whose willingness to help out the charity partially provided Gomez with the inspiration to

lend a hand herself, does too.

“Me and my aunt are willing to take anything that the kids [from the sign language classes and any other students who donate] have and drive it over to the church,” Gomez said. “Then [Father Joe] will distribute it.”

According to its website, the CCAC serves over 3,000 children each year.

Esmerelda Montes de Oca, a receptionist at the CCAC, feels the point of the organization is to lend a hand to the children that need support they cannot receive.

“We are the voice for the children,” Montes de Oca said. “Not all children get that voice, especially with the cases we get here at the Center.

That is our impact. The children are being heard, and they are getting the help they need.”

The South ASL program helped collect clothing through Dec. 7.

After the first several weeks, the drive had collected a couple bag’s worth of donations. According to Rosemarie Carsello, American Sign Language teacher, that was to be expected.

“I think there’s just a lot of collections going on, and charities and places to donate to this time of year, inside school, outside of school,” Carsello said. “But it can be anything little, like scarves or gloves and anything. Any little thing counts.”

12

features

Dec. 21, 2012

DRAMATIZATION

Graphic by CJ Park

Undocumented students endure struggles with status Kelsey Pogue

asst. web editor Sally You

asst. a&e editor America is nicknamed the “Melting Pot” because immigrants from all over the world live in the United States.

The decision to leave one’s homeland and move to a new country where the customs and culture are vastly different is not an easy one; however, when a family is unable to find work or provide education for its children, immigration may be the best option – even if it’s illegal.

Any person who enters the United States without permission from the government or stays in the United States with an expired visa is considered “undocumented,” according to ELL Coordinator Karen LeBlanc.

According to South registrar Claudia Bailey, the school does not know how many students are undocumented.

“The No Child Left Behind law states that [a school is] not supposed to hold a child responsible for what their parents do, so I’m not supposed to ask their immigration status,” Bailey said.

The Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR) states that under the Plyler vs. Doe Supreme Court ruling, all students are entitled to a free, public education from kindergarten to the 12th grade attending college is not quite as easy.

“A lot of colleges look for your immigration status because they’re private,” Bailey said. “They may need what’s called an I-20, which is an F1 visa to go to school.”

While private colleges may look for immigration statuses, students can still attend other colleges.

“Illinois is one of the few states that allows students to attend college whether they’re documented or not,” guidance counselor Socorro Rogers said. “The only difference is that they don’t qualify for financial aid and sometimes for students, that becomes discouraging.”

Senior Jake Davis* came to the United States from Mexico alone around three years ago in the hope of a better life for his family and himself.

“I am here because I have a better life and I am able to give my family a better life,” Davis said. “But the fact [that you’re] living by yourself, is kind of sad, because you miss your family. The sad part is that I have a brother [who] was born two years ago, and I have not met him.”

Davis takes some risks as an undoc-

umented citizen but is not concerned about being deported.

“Something that I am not afraid of is [being sent] back, because I will go where I came from, and I will come back [to the US] again,” Davis said. “But that is very expensive, it costs about $5,000 to come back. The bad thing is that when you leave your country, you do not know if you will go back—some people die on the way.”

Senior Richard Jones* crossed the border illegally from Mexico three years ago, running into a forest to escape border police. “[First] I had to find a fake ID and social security number,” Jones said. “I’m scared that the police will stop me and try to deport me back to Mexico. In the future, I can’t get any scholarship to go to college.”

According to Rogers, the only way for them to become documented is to return to their home country and go through its process to return to the U.S. “Most poor immigrants that come to the country aren’t going to go back, sit in line and wait to get a visa--a workers visa or student’s visa-only to come here,” Rogers said.

However, the “Dream Act”, which was devised 10

years ago, holds hope for undocumented students if passed, according to Rogers.

“The intent [of the “Dream Act”] was to help students who came here with their parents, against their will obviously, and were raised predominantly here and educated here, to have the opportunity that native born citizens have,” Rogers said.

The “Dream Act”, however, would only work for students who came here in 2007 or after, according to Rogers.

According to the ICIRR, if Immigrations Customs Enforcement catches undocumented students, they will not deport them if they meet deferred action requirements.

Deferred action protects undocumented citizens from deportation, lasts for two years and is renewable, but is not a pathway to citizenship or a green card, according to the ICIRR. For more information on immigration rights and updates on the “Dream Act”, visit icirr.org or call 1-855-HELP-MY-FAMILY.

“I am here because I have a better life, and I am able to give my family a better life.”

-Senior Jake Davis*

*Names have been changed

features

13

Dec. 21, 2012

Zapler’s trip to Latin America impacts teaching style Daniel Zapler, social studies teacher, traveled to Latin America before teaching career to gain global perspective that he now applies to the classroom Madison O’Brien

Mexico: According to Zapler, a few months after returning from his first trip to Latin America, he returned with a college friend and drove from Tuscan to San Lucas. “We took a barge from Lapaz, Mexico over the Sea of Cortez and a Mexican truck driver threatened to kill and rob [my friend and I],” Zapler said. “They must have thought we had money because we were the only gringos on the boat. We got out of it by hiding.”

asst. features editor Marlye Jerva

staff reporter

Honduras: According to Zapler, the bad weather he faced while climbing La Tigra, a mountain in Honduras, caused him to be stuck on the mountain for four days.

“There was nothing to eat, so for those four days all I ate was [the peanut butter I recieved randomly as a gift the day before],” Zapler said. “So basically it saved my life.”

Belize: Zapler broke his ankle playing basketball on Ambergris Caye, a small island off the coast of Belize.

Guatemala: Zapler lived with the Maya for two to three months in the western highlands.

Costa Rica: “I spent most of my time in Costa Rica going to amazing natural sights,” Zapler said. “I watched turtle eggs hatch on the East Coast, visited cloud forests, and visited tropical rainforests on the West Coast. [...] Going to a place that’s difficult to be in, and the fact that I was [in Latin America] for so long, all alone, [gave me] a better sense of myself and a lot more confidence in everything I do now, [including teaching].”

El Salvador: According to Zapler, being in El Salvador was scary because the war had just ended and the country was in ruins. “There was a ton of crime and it was really violent,” Zapler said.

Nicaragua: According to Zapler, he enjoyed living in the poor countries he visited. In his opinion, poor people everywhere live differently, but the rich are all alike.

HOME SWEET HOME: Renting a shed for 30 cents a night, Zapler stayed with the Gua-

Costa Rica

temalan family above in Todos Santos. They hosted Zapler for a few weeks of the two to three months he spent in Guatemala. Photo courtesy of Daniel Zapler

10 10

FACTS ABOUT ZAPLER’S TRAVELS

El Salvador

Mexico

Nicaragua

Guatemala

Honduras

Belize

WHEN HE TRAVELED: Zapler was 21 years old and had just finished college.

WHERE HE TRAVELED: All throughout Latin America, specifically Belize for two weeks, Guatemala for three months, El Salvador for two weeks, Honduras for one month, Nicaragua for two weeks and Costa Rica for three weeks.

HOW LONG HE TRAVELED: Six months traveling around Latin America and a month in Mexico a few months after his first trip.

WHY HE WENT: “I was looking to put real life experiences to my education, [...] which was in political science with a focus on Latin America,” Zapler said. “So it was an incredible high to experience events and places that I had only previously read about or saw pictures of.”

WHO HE WENT WITH: Throughout the six months, Zapler traveled by himself. “There is more freedom and adventure when traveling alone,” Zapler said.

HOW HE BRINGS THESE EXPERIENCES INTO THE CLASSROOM: “There’s a difference between telling somebody something you read and telling them something you experienced,” Zapler said. “It gives people a lot more credibility in what they’re saying.”

HOW HIS TRAVELS HAVE AFFECTED HIM: “My travels were the most important event in my adult life,” Zapler said. “ They challenged me on all levels: physically, mentally, emotionally, spirtiually. etc. Once I returned I had a new sense of personal confidence and a completely new way to see the world and my role in it.”

HIS EVERYDAY LIFE IN LATIN AMERICA: According to Zapler, traveling on the cheap is the best way to experience a country like the people of that country. “If you spend a lot of money, you tend to recreate the United States in a foreign land,” Zapler said. “I don’t remember ever meeting someone with money [in Latin America] [...]

Places to stay were about a dollar a day, and a meal was about 50 cents to a dollar, so I lived on about four dollars a day.”

HOW STUDENTS HAVE BEEN AFFECTED: Sophomore Sabrina Palmer feels that Zapler’s experiences in Latin America have made him a better teacher. According to Palmer, he’s not just reading out of the textbook, but he knows the material because he has seen and gone through it first hand. Sophomores Austin St. George and Michael Cymbalisty think his experiences make the class more interesting.

HIS FAVORITE PART: “Being able to see how different cultures solve their problems and having a sense that I was going to places and talking to people that have never been seen or talked to by gringos [was my favorite part of the trip],” Zapler said.

14

a&e

Dec. 21, 2012

Feel the Beat :

South’s annual dance show, “Feel the Beat,” took place on Friday, Dec. 7 at 7:30 pm in the Norman E. Watson Auditorium. The show consisted of 27 dances from De La Cru, Orchesis, and the Titan Poms and had a runtime of an hour and a half.

Sally You

asst. a&e editor Lauren Durning

staff reporter

De La Cru According to senior Melanie McNulty, De La Cru captain, the team practiced almost every day for one-and-a-half to two hours for the dance show since the pep rally had ended. De La Cru performed two dances on their own and one dance with De La Cru Club.

Some of the dances in the show had specific meaning. According to McNulty, their dance with De La Cru Club is a story of someone falling into a nightmare. The dance’s name is “Dream Sequence.”

For senior Georgene Acquaah, this collaborative dance with De La Cru Club was her favorite.

“My favorite part was dancing with [De La Cru Club],” Acquaah said. “I liked getting to know [the club members] more and joining as one big

whole team to put on a great show.”

Despite the long hours invested into practice for the show, junior Emma Bigelow felt rewarded after the performance.

“Our hard work did pay off because a lot of people showed up, and it was a lot of fun,” Bigelow said.

According to McNulty, she hopes audience members were able to appreciate the style of hip hop and its unique qualities while watching De La Cru perform.

“In dance show we really bring out a side of hip hop that can be more calm and speak stories to the audience,” McNulty said. “So I really hope the viewers can experience the emotions we pour into the choreography.”

Orchesis According to junior Bridget Nelson, Orchesis co-captain, the team put in four to six hours every week since the beginning of September. Orchesis had a total of 20 dances with the team split up into different groups based on various styles and one dance with the whole team.

Their group dance, “Waka Waka,” was a favorite of senior Brittany Balzano, Orchesis co-captain. According to Balzano, it was something everyone looked forward to because it was the grand, opening number.

“It just shows so much hard work,” Balzano said. “We’ve been working on this since August.”

According to Balzano, Orchesis has come a long way since previous years.

“In my freshman year, there [were] 20 girls and now

there are 65,” Balzano said. “I feel like [dancing] doesn’t have any limitations.

You can almost be free on [the stage]; you can completely be who you are. You can take the dance and make it your own and put your emotions into it. When you do that, you can be free.”

Freshman Caroline Bickel attended the dance show to support her friend, freshman Teres Taju, and her other friend’s sister, junior Dina O’Connell.

“It had such a variety of moves and styles of music,” Bickel said.

“I liked all of them; they were choreographed perfectly.”

Junior Rosalie Mahler positively reflected on the outcome of the dance show as well.

“Overall, I feel like the dance show was very successful this year,” Mahler said. “It showcased a variety of techniques and styles.”

Titan Poms

Photos by Marley Hambourger

The Titan Poms had practiced for two to two-and-a-half hours a day for five to six days a week since June for performances for the school year including the dance show, according to senior Katie Vanderveen, Varsity Poms co-captain. Junior Varsity and Varsity Poms each performed one dance.

“The dance show is just incorporated into our season,” Vanderveen said.

“Our main goal in the end is Nationals, which is in Orlando, Florida. Dance show is another performance that we do throughout the school [year], and it’s a really fun one.”

Senior Chelsea Jerominski,Varsity Poms co-captain, expressed her hopes of amazing the audience

with the team’s performance despite the chance to perform only once.

“I would have definitely wanted to perform more than one dance but with the basketball game at the same time it would [have been] hard,” Jerominski said. “We perform[ed] our competition dance, so there [were] a lot of cool tricks and stunts we [did]. We want people to be excited and think ‘Hey, that was really cool’ when we’re done dancing.”

According to junior Laura Leinbach, the jazz number the team plans on competing at Nationals with was the highlight of the show.

“The best part of it was performing our jazz routine,” Leinbach said.

“We compete with our jazz dance, so it was really cool to perform it at a school event to be recognized on what we work the hardest on.”

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15

Dec. 21, 2012

SPREADING HOLIDAY CHEER: Practicing for their winter concert, students (above: Olivia Stern, Katie Iida, Katherine Loiselle, and Hannah Pellouchoud; top right: Murray Campbell, Demetri Kotsinis, and

Atticus Hebson; bottom right: Janna Lyhus, Grace Ludwig, and Erika Petersen) involved in the Chambers singing program express the holiday spirit through song. Chambers singers are selected for the program annually, and they perform during the holiday season along with various concerts and events throughout the year. Photos by Wyatt Richter

Chambers singers bring joy through carols While many traditions will remain the same, the Chambers singers have added new songs for this particular holiday season. “‘I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm’ is a new [song], South’s hallways will soon be filled with the sound and I’m doing an arrangement right now of ‘Little of holiday carols sung by girls and boys dressed in Drummer Boy,’” Sirvatka said. hoop skirts and top hats. As the holidays approach, The Chambers singers experience a the tradition of the Chambers singers continues as they hectic schedule, practicing their holiday prepare for their upcoming season. music every Thursday from September The Chambers group represents one of South’s selective until May and preparing for both singing programs. This year, Chambers includes 22 their holiday performances and their students: 11 boys and 11 girls. According to senior Noor regular concerts. They often practice Abdulmassih, they perform during the holiday season, on their own to prepare for all of these at the fall, winter and spring concerts, V-Show and have performances. According to Sirvatka, their own Chambers concert in May. the group has a very strong dynamic.

The Chambers singers are primarily known for their “[This group is] super passionate holiday performances around the Glenview community. about their performance and the new They spread holiday cheer by caroling in traditional [members] want to really please and do a good job,” Victorian-styled outfits.

Sirvatka said. “I’m seeing a bunch of [the new singers] Between Thanksgiving and Christmas, the Chambers after school or in the practice rooms […] without me singers will attend around 40 events. According to having to nag them about anything. So that’s awesome.”

Chambers instructor Martin Sirvatka, Chambers spreads However, even with hard practice the Chambers a lot of joy to people in retirement homes. singers find time to spread the joy to each other.

“Most of the people [in retirement homes], although “[Junior] Jeffrey Mathew dressed up as Santa for our Chambers marathon- beard and all,” Tisch FREQUENT THE FOLLOWING RESTAURANTS AND STORES! said. “That was pretty great.”

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Katie Vanderveen

staff reporter

they are suffering say from Alzheimer’s or some kind other of dementia, they still remember the words to the songs,” Sirvatka said. “They sing along with us, and that’s so good.”

However, not only do the performances touch the audience members, but they also inspire the Chambers group. Sirvatka remembers the life changing moment from the holiday performances at the hospital last year.

“Somebody asked us [last year to] sing [for a patient] [be]cause this will be the last day that this person lives, and they want to send them into heaven with a song,” Sirvatka said. “That’s pretty impactful that you have that much power or that you have that much ability to bring joy to the people.”

The Chambers singers plan to perform at many of the same events from last year. According to junior Paul Tisch, people can expect a great holiday season this year.

“People can expect good music that warms the soul and brings holiday cheer to all that hear,” Tisch said.

“People can expect good music that warms the soul and brings holiday cheer to all that hear.”

-Junior Paul Tisch

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Dec. 21, 2012

Faculty members unite to perform in radio comedy Mollie Cramer

staff reporter Some writers start with a rough draft, then another draft, then they tweak it a little more, and then write their final draft.

According to parapro James Wood, he used sticky notes and little pads of paper to write out his play, The Document.

Wood’s radio comedy about the signing of the Declaration of Independence had an all faculty cast with Dr. Michael Riggle, Mark Ferguson, Cameron Muir, Fred Kocian, Joe Karlovsky, Dave Garbe, Dave Hill and Dr. Brian Wegley.

Wegley saw the play as a great opportunity to work with other faculty members.

“Here is something that is very unusual for us all to be involved in,” Wegley said.

“I think you get to see a side of people that you don’t normally get to see, which I really appreciate.”

Muir said that this was not something he would normally do. However, Wood believes they all had fun participating.

“I think they like doing things out of their normal realm of office work,” Wood said. “It’s just completely different.”

According to Wood, one of the more difficult aspects of it was integrating comedy into the play.

“I write from the top of my head; I write what I think is funny, then I try out,” Wood said. “I walk up to people in the hall and say, ‘Do you think this is funny?’ and if they laugh, then I go with it.”

Riggle thought that it was interesting that Wood encapsulated humor with the historical event.

“It really reflects his creativity, thinking about what would be a comedic version of these men all at this convention [and] what kinds of arguments or what kinds of concerns would be going on,” Riggle said.

Wood acredits much of his inspiration to the South students and faculty.

“This never would have come about if I hadn’t started working here,” Wood said.

“Watching everything that’s done here, and the students that perform here do all this work, inspired me to write.”

During their first and only rehearsal, the actors read through the script and discussed the roles that each of their characters played, according to Muir. Since it was a radio comedy, voices were the most important aspect of the play.

“We were toying around with different

ADMINISTRATORS IN ACTION: In the radio comedy, The Document, faculty members Principal Dr. Brian Wegley and Superintendent Dr. Mike Riggle act out their roles. The Document was written, directed and produced by parapro James Wood. Photo by Jackie Cortopassi

kinds of voices,” Muir said. “Do we have an accent, do we not? What kind of accent? Things like that.”

Wegley said his favorite aspect of the play was that it was a radio comedy.

“Personally, I’m just a big fan of storytelling on the radio,” Wegley said. “If you’ve ever listened to stories on the radio, there’s something different to it. Like if you go to a movie, that experience is very different than reading a book.”

Throughout the play there were laughs coming from the audience, mostly from Choir Director Stevi Marks.

“I loved the sense of humor and the moments in history that he captured,” Marks said. “It’s fun to think of these iconic men as real people.”

According to Kocian, faculty members at South have the opportunity to get in-

volved in activities.

“People have their jobs, but then they have outside interests and [Wood] acted on his,” Kocian said. “He’s sharing it with people, which I think is a great thing.”

Wood’s play has been selected to be archived in Monticello, the Thomas Jefferson museum in Virginia. According to Jack Robertson, the Foundation Librarian at the Thomas Jefferson library, people are starting to come up with new, creative ways of viewing Thomas Jefferson.

“We don’t have any radio comedies that are about Jefferson,” Robertson said.

“His play is very unusual and unique in that way.”

Wood said that the whole process of preparing his play for Monticello has been “surreal” for him.

“I’m kind of shocked [...] that they

wanted it to be there,” Wood said.

According to Wood, this wasn’t the first year some of these teachers had participated in this kind of production. They performed The Christmas Carol last year that Wood directed.

Another reason for performing the plays for the last two years was to raise money for charities. Last year they raised money for the Toys for Tots foundation.

This year, they chose to support The Caring Hearts Foundation.

“I think we’re all hoping just to get a good feeling about making a contribution to something that’s a larger effort that people might enjoy,” Riggle said. “And [it] might help raise some money.”

According to Wood, he really enjoys history and radio comedies so this play reflected his interests and passions.

Winter traditions enrich the holiday season for South students Emily Mitchell

staff reporter Long days on the beach turn into late nights around the fire as ice-cold lemonade turns into steaming hot chocolate.

The everyday clothes go from shorts and sunglasses to pants and gloves while the weather drops about 30 degrees. In Glenview, hot summer days at Flick and Roosevelt become movies at the Glen theatre. These are a few of the signals that winter has finally arrived, and the only thing getting students through the school day is knowing that shortly, a two-week break awaits them filled with plenty of holiday traditions or just time to relax.

Whether it’s finding the pickle on the Christmas tree or going out of town for a few days, students at South have a wide range of holiday traditions that make their winter break worth the long wait.

According to senior Allie Sonneborn, the two-week break

for students is much needed.

“My favorite part about winter break is finally having some time to decompress,” Sonneborn said. “The period between Thanksgiving break and winter break is always crazy, so it’s a relief to have some time to relax.”

In an Oracle-conducted survey of 264 GBS students, 29 percent of students said they’re going out of town.

The top three places that students are traveling to are Florida, Wisconsin and Michigan, and many other students are headed all around the States.

Sophomore Jessica O’Young is going to Kentucky with her cousins for the first time to celebrate the holidays.

“Normally, the cousins from Kentucky come visit us,” O’Young said.

“We usually go skiing with my cousins the day after

Christmas.”

By traveling, students say they are able to visit family and friends. Senior Mirna Bazi is really looking forward to her winter break because her family lives outside of the mid-west.

“Instead of the usual, we’re spending each holiday somewhere else,” Bazi said. “Christmas in California and New Year’s in Arizona.”

Besides traveling to different locations to enjoy their winter, many people choose to stay home and enjoy the cold and all Glenview has to offer. From Christmas parties to hitting the stores downtown Chicago, students say that with plenty of things to do, winter break in Glenview will never be boring.

Senior Molly Campobasso said between decorating her Christmas tree and hanging out with family, she loves her annual Christmas party with her friends.

“It’s basically just when I have a lot of

friends over and we do a Secret Santa or gift exchange sort of thing,” Campobasso said. “We do it every year because Christmas is my favorite holiday.”

Unlike Campobasso, Sonneborn is starting a new tradition this year: Chrismukkah. According to Sonneborn, her inspiration came from a TV show, and this being her first year, she felt it was a success.

“We ordered Chinese food, because [some] Jews eat that on Christmas, we had a gingerbread house decorating contest, and we played Dreidel,” Sonneborn said. “Chrismukkah is a way to acknowledge both of [my parents’] traditions.”

Between the many different things going on over the holidays, Bazi and many other students believe the best part is the people you spend it with.

“My favorite part of winter break is being able to spend time with family and friends without the stress of school,” Bazi said. “Your only focus is on your loved ones and those around you [...] That makes the smallest moments memorable.”

sports opinion 17 Fans don’t get a kick out of field goals Dec.21, 2012

Rachel Chmielinski

asst. sports editor Football has been evolving since the 1960s when kickers were merely good athletes who volunteered to be kickers. Now, the modern day kickers are highly trained specialists.

This is due to a combination of more efficient training and better surfaces including more indoor fields. Athletes are training to be kickers starting at an early age, something that people didn’t do 10 to 20 years ago.

As kickers’ skills have continually been improving, the rules have also changed to compensate, but still not enough is being done.

The goal posts were moved back 10 yards to the rear of the end zone in 1974. While the farther distance was difficult, it created a better angle.

The hash marks were moved in closer to the goalposts causing a 2.4 percent increase in successful field goals. While the skewed success percentage is difficult to solve, moving the hash marks farther apart is one way to add excitement and lose the dependability of field goals.

What influence does a dependable field goal have on the game?

1) It adds a sense of boredom “With kicking, football is turning into professional bowling where most every ball is a strike,” sports journalist Frank Deford said.

Football fans expect all field goals to be made, and when one isn’t, it’s both a disappointment and more importantly, a surprise.

That’s the exact problem: the odds of the outcome of a routine element in any sporting event should never be so skewed to one side.

2) It gives the coaches too much power “These coaches in other sports can change strategy, but only football coaches can actually change what’s going to happen,” Deford said.

Photo courtesy of the Bright House Sports Network

This power causes coaches to often play it safe. They can keep possession and go for the almost guaranteed three points, or they can take the risk of losing possession. There shouldn’t be such a reward for consistently playing it safe.

Field goal success history

Graphic by Evan Richter Source: pro-reference-football.com

18

Dec. 21, 2012

sports

Basketball looks to compete following fresh start

game against rival GBN, the score was 6058. Around the 30-second mark, a North player shot a three pointer, giving GBN the lead. GBN went on to win the game 63-60.

According to Nikitas, the squad showed a valiant effort.

“We started off slow, so we had to fight our way back into it,” Nikitas said. “I think the end of the game was the way it should have been. [...] It was a good finish.”

With much of the team having had Widner as their freshman coach, the players are familiar with him and his coaching style.

However, according to Siegel there isn’t a big difference between the coaching techniques of Widner and former coach Scott Nemecek. Rather, it has been an adjustment working with Widner on the varsity level, as opposed to the freshman level.

“There are different styles of basketball, but really it’s all basketball,” Siegel said.

According to Widner, he shares a sense of familiarity with the team. Also, he feels that a lot of the pressure of the results fall on him.

“I feel a lot of responsibility for the way things go this year and beyond,” Widner said.

According to Widner, he is getting to know each player in a new way, and not using past knowledge he has of each player.

“Everybody is getting a fresh look, [a] fresh chance,” Winder said. “We want everybody working every day and showing what they can do.”

Siegel feels that Widner brings a lot of DIRTY DRIVE: Contesting an opposing defender, junior Danny Nikitas drives to the hoop. Nikitas has been one of the starters for the Titans this year, who curprogressive intangibles to the court as a rently have a record of 5-4. Photo by Wyatt Richter coach.

Hannah Mason greatest strength this season is their work ethic.

“Widner is a great guy and there is a lot of positive enstaff reporter “It’s a really cool thing to see, when the guys you’ve couragement,” Siegel said. “It’s a great environment to been working so hard with at practice, just lay it all out work in.”

Over the last six seasons the men’s varsity basketball on the floor,” Siegel said.

According to Busiel, he is hoping the introduction of team amassed a record of 63-98. As they begin their new Starting the season at the New Trier Invite tournament, Widner will attract people back to the program and get season, the men are adjusting to new coach Benjamin South went 2-2, receiving fourth place. The team lost to them excited for the current season. Busiel also wants to Widner while aiming to place top in conference, accord- St. Ignatius 48-35 and Loyola 64-51, but won against showcase a positive attitude and leadership in his role as ing to senior Justin Busiel.

Prosser 53-33 and Hope 49-36. captain.

According to junior Danny Nikitas, adjusting to a new Nikitas felt the team was lacking in defense vs. St. Igna“I think [the team] really looks up to me and they look coach has been difficult, and getting back into the game tius, but felt the defensive transitions improved through- to see what I’m doing,” Busiel said. “I try to set a good has also been a challenge. out the tournament. example and be a vocal leader [on the court].”

“I think the beginning of the seasons are always “We stopped the ball very well,” Nikitas said. “It was With all of these changes, South currently holds a retough,” Nikitas said. “We need to get our feet wet, and just the fact that we were very lazy and not really intense, cord of 5-4. Over winter break the team will be playing in get used to each other on the court.” [...] maybe it was first game jitters.” the Hinsdale South Invite between Dec. 26 and Dec. 28.

According to senior Matt Siegel, he knows the team’s Soon after, on Nov. 29, within the last minute of the Conference games will resume in January.

Experienced coach, player takes reigns of program “I think the biggest change for anybody is the amount of time spent doing things unrelated to actually coaching the boys,” Nemecek said.

Even with all of the responsibility, according to senior This year, the new basketball season came with a new head coach: Benjamin Widner. Widner took over the Matt Siegel, Widner has added great depth to the team as head coach of boys’ varsity basketball from former coach a whole and with individual players.

“The team’s depth was alScott Nemecek. ways there but Widner has Widner played basFast Facts the ability to bring out the ketball at the University Getting to know the head coach best in us,” Siegel said. of St. Francis. According This season, Widner has to Widner, he likes that not changed his expectabasketball is a fast paced College: University of Saint Francis tions of the players. He exgame and that it requires pects all of the players to the players’ hard work. work hard and maintain “[Basketball] is a game years coaching at Glenbrook South good attitudes, character that requires total teamand grades while being the work [to be] successful,” best players they can be.

Widner said.

Favorite Basketball player: “[Widner] wants the This year is Widner’s Michael Jordan players to take leadership 13th year in the basketand responsibility for the ball program, although team,” Captain Justin Busthis is not his first time iel said. working with varsity; Favorite Food: Pizza Along with leadership, Widner was a varsity asWidner sees importance in sistant coach for eight finding internal intensity years with Coach NemGraphic by John Adkisson and motivation. ecek and Coach John “I want to be able to teach and to coach and to refine Meyers. Widner also coached the freshman team for sevbasketball skills, the way they play together, but I want eral years.

According to Widner, he realized that his new position the motivation to come from them,” Widner said.

According to Nemecek, Widner is a very patient coach would be a challenge because he is now in charge of the basketball program as well as the freshman and sopho- and is very good with making quick decisions.

“He knows when things are reasonable to try and do more teams.

Kelly Anderson & Justine Kim

staff reporters

13

and things that would be unreasonable to try and do,” Nemecek said.

According to Nemecek, Widner exhibits qualities that show he cares immensely about the players and how the team is doing.

“I value the relationships with the kids,” Widner said. “I want the players to leave the program and say, ‘I learned a lot, I was challenged, and I am better off because of that program.’”

According to senior Trey Dahiya, Widner has been a driving force from freshman year until now and still quotes him from freshman year. “[Widner] gives us the responsibility to do what we have to do,” Dahiya said. “[The team’s] favorite quote from him is ‘Great teams extend [their leads]’ which we have used for Benjamin Widner Photo by Jackie Cortopassi the past few years.”

sports

19

Dec. 21, 2012

Junior commits to Loyola Chicago for Division I soccer John Adkisson

co-sports editor

“Olivia became sick so we had to adjust the taper [...] Worlds is a five-day-long competition and this requires a swimmer of her caliber to be ready for each day.”

-Steve Iida, Smoliga’s club coach

ACT/SAT After-school & evening classes at GBS

Review sessions are available for English, Science & Math.

Classes begin Thursday, Jan 24 Sign up in the bookstore now - or see Mrs. Libman (in the English Dept.) for more info

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As of Nov. 15, senior swimmer Olivia Smoliga owned three state records. She had won four individual state championships and had come in fourth in the 100 meter backstroke at Olympic Trials.

Since then, Smoliga has won two more individual state titles, set two national high school records and placed in the top eight of three events at Winter Nationals. And at the FINA World Swimming Championships in Istanbul, Turkey, Smoliga finished her year with a gold medal in the 100 meter backstroke and an American record in the 50 meter backstroke, good enough for a silver medal.

Smoliga finished the meet with four medals (the aforementioned two as well as a bronze in the 400 medley relay and a gold in the 400 freestyle relay), the most of any American woman and behind only Ryan Lochte (who had eight) for the most of any American.

Her 100 backstroke time of 56.64 seconds is the ninth best time in world history, and her American record-setting 50 back time of 26.13 seconds is the sixth best all time. Of Americans, only Olympian Natalie Coughlin has completed a faster 100 meter backstroke in short course.

According to Steve Iida, Smoliga’s coach at Glenview Titan Aquatic Club (GTAC), getting her ready was difficult after she had been “tapered” (the process of lessening practice yardage to maximize speed at important meets) for the state meet, and that difficulty was confounded when Smoliga got sick prior to the meet.

“For Worlds, we had a scare,” Iida said. “Olivia became sick so we had to adjust the taper. In general, after [the] IHSA State Meet, we had to get her back in shape. Not that she wasn’t in swimming shape. Coach [Kelly] Timson [South women’s head swimming coach] did a fantastic job during girls’ season.

But Worlds is a five-day-long competition and this requires a swimmer of her caliber to be ready for each day.”

Iida worked with Smoliga on her strength and dolphin kicks for the competition, with the hope of getting her in prime condition for her to race. According to Iida, this is the key to short course, and the additional wall played to her strengths in Istanbul.

Smoliga will continue to train with GTAC through next summer in preparation for her next taper meet, the Summer FINA World Championships in Barcelona, Spain, from July 19 to Aug. 4, 2013. She will then continue her career by swimming collegiately with the University of Georgia beginning next fall.

rom

co-sports editor

to f

Ethan Spalding

ior

Smoliga smokes competition on way to title

Ph o

Smoliga became the world champion in the 100 meter backstroke after posting a time of 56.64 seconds at the FINA World Swimming Championships in Istanbul. Photo courtesy of Swim Swam

Jun

OLIVIA’N THE DREAM: After winning a race, senior Olivia Smoliga hugs a fellow competitior at the Olympic Trials this past summer. On Dec. 13,

On Oct. 20, junior Adrian Remeniuk committed to play Division I soccer at Loyola University Chicago.

Remeniuk decided to be a Rambler because of a close relationship with Stan Anderson, Loyola’s coach and one of Remeniuk’s mentors.

“For the past five years I have been attending Anderson’s Camp shutout, and at the time, he was recruiting me for Marquette,” Remeniuk said. “Then he moved to Loyola and convinced me to do a visit. Then I fell in love with the school.”

Remeniuk has been playing soccer since the age of four and currently plays at Sockers FC in Palatine.

Remeniuk plays on the Academy team at Sockers, an elite year-round program that does not allow Remeniuk to play soccer at South. However, Remeniuk, who played soccer at South as a freshman but then decided to move to Academy, feels playing Academy soccer was the best way to prepare him to play Division I soccer.

“I believe that playing academy was the best way to prepare me for college,” Remeniuk said. “It’s competitive, and it also exposes you to more college coaches, who attend m o s t of our games.”

Along with Loyola, Remeniuk was considering playing soccer at University of Wisconsin, Marquette University, Northwestern University, Akron and Northern Illinois University. In the end, Remeniuk decided that he had the most to offer to the new-look Ramblers.

“Loyola has struggled in the past and I am hoping myself and the next two recruiting classes can change the culture [and] help us be relevant in the NCAA Tournament,” Remeniuk said.

Although Remeniuk is only a junior, he feels that the positives of committing early outweigh the negatives, and is confident Loyola will remain the best choice for him. Remeniuk Photo from Google Images is also looking forward to his senior year, where he will not need to worry about college.

“My only decision c h a n g e would be if there is a coach that I was not comfortable with,” Remeniuk said. “I decided to commit as a junior because I knew where I wanted to go to school, received a good offer, now I don’t have as much pressure and I can enjoy my senior year.”

Loyola amassed a record of 5-12-2 during the 2012 season. Brandon Eitz, former head coach, was then fired on Nov. 12. Eitz led the Ramblers to a record of 61-71-22 over his eight years at Loyola. Anderson took over the job after six years at Marquette, where he led the Golden Eagles to a Big East title in 2011.

20

sports

Dec. 21, 2012

Swimmers rock record books at State meet Ethan Spalding

co-sports editor Heading into the IHSA State meet, the varsity women’s swim team’s goal was to take home a trophy by placing in the top three in state, according to senior Olivia Smoliga.

Despite higher expectations, the team finished in fourth place, falling to third place Nequa Valley by a total of three points. But when the Titans came home, they were ecstatic with their performance, according to head coach Kelly Timson.

Though they were somewhat saddened with their lack of a trophy, their accomplishments at the meetwith two state and two national records- outweighed any disapointment, according to Timson.

The Lady Titans’ road to the record books began at the sectional meet Nov. 9, where the Titans qualified the majority of their roster for the state meet. On the roster were seniors Olivia Smoliga, Niki Wells, SarWELL OF EMOTION: Seeing her 400 freestyle relay finish with a state record, sophomore Katie Wells celebrates the team’s accomah Grieve, Kimmy Durkin plishment. Wells, who led off the relay, gave the Titans an early lead with a split of 51.74 seconds. Photo courtesy of the Chicago Tribune and Katie Iida; junior Bailey Moynihan; and sophomores own), neither freestyle relay placed with the Moynihan and Smoliga to swim a state reKatie Wells and Kelly Cordes. Junior diver top time in state, and no other individuals cord time of 3:24.50 in the 400 freestyle reAmanda Browder qualified for State as well. qualified for finals. lay. These races, combined with Smoliga’s Heading into state prelims Friday, Nov. 16, Katie Wells, who swam the 50 and 100 free- national record-setting 50 freestyle and 100 Smoliga, Cordes and the Titans 200 and 400 style as well as both freestyle relays, admits backstroke performances (with times of 21.99 freestyle relays were seeded within the top she was disappointed with and 51.43, respective12, which are the positions that score points her performance at prelims. ly), netted the Titans a at the meet. The 200 freestyle relay, as well as Her improvement in the retotal of 96 points, three Smoliga’s 100 backstroke and 50 freestyle, en- lays, however, provided the points shy of a trophy. tered the meet with the top time in the state. majority of the time differNone of the swimAccording to Timson, expectations were ence between prelims and mers really cared, high for the state meet after the strong sec- finals, something she attrihowever, as Smoliga, tional performance. butes to a change in mindKaite Wells and Moyi“We had talked about Olivia winning her set. han all say the records events and getting state records and the na“[At prelims] I didn’t do so well, and I were more memorable. Coach Timson betional records, which were a little bit of a was really upset all the way until I went to lieves that is what is most important. reach,” Timson said. “We talked about how bed, but the next morning I woke up and “It’s always been one of my goals to get we should’ve been able to win the 200 free re- thought, ‘Today I’m going to get it together a trophy, but as we were leaving the pool, lay, and a little about the state record. [We ex- and do it for the team,” Wells said.

I felt the girls were so excited about everypected] the 400 free relay to be right in there With Katie Wells’s improvement as well thing, and they didn’t think twice [about for first.” as the swims of Niki Wells, Moynihan and the trophy], so I thought I shouldn’t either,” At prelims, the team did not meet expecta- Smoliga, the Titans were able to set a state Timson said. “At the end of the day, [missing tions, according to Katie Wells. Though Smo- record in the 200 freestyle relay with a time by] three points is a little disappointing, but liga broke two state records (both of them her of 1:32.98. Cordes then joined Katie Wells, those records will leave a bigger legacy.”

“I woke up and thought, ‘Today I’m going to get it together and do it for the team.”

-Sophomore Katie Wells

Inside the records:

Key numbers from the Lady Titans’ State performance.

96

The number of points the Titans scored at the State meet, the maximum total they could have achieved with the number of events they qualified for finals on Saturday.

6

The number of state records owned by Glenbrook South swimming and diving (both men’s and women’s). No other Illinois school has more than two.

4

The number of event championships the Titans claimed, all state records. No other team won more than two events.

21.99

Olivia Smoliga’s 50 freestyle time, making her the first female high schooler under 22 seconds in the event.

51.43

Smoliga’s 100 backstroke time, .1 seconds under Olympian Rachel Bootsma’s national record.

3

The number of State records possessed by Smoliga, more than any other swimmer in Illinois.

2

The number of women with multiple high school national records: Smoliga and North Dakota swimmer Dangy Knutson, who has four.

Women’s basketball capatalizes on size, speed to win games

Breck Murphy

staff reporter After starting their season with an overall record of 10-3, the South women’s basketball team is looking to make an impact with their height, according to senior captain Lindsey Oldshue. This year, all five starters are at least six feet tall.

“Our biggest threat this year is our height, and we really need to take advantage of it,” senior captain Molly McDonagh said.

Adding to the advantage of their height, the girls have some speed over other teams, according to Oldshue.

“We are a little bit faster than some of the other taller girls on other teams, so we can really push the ball and get it inside,” Oldshue said.

The team came in second in their seasonopening tournament, where they lost to threetime state champions Montini in the tournament championship.

In order to get to the championship, the team had to beat what head coach Steve Weissenstein considers to be a tough Wheaton Warrenville South squad.

“To start the season, [Wheaton Warrenville South] was ranked sixth in the [Chicago] Sun-Times,” Weissenstein said. “It just shows that we can be a good team; that we’re able to beat a team like that.”

According to Weissenstein, the team played very well, and it was a good tournament overall.

The team has experienced mixed results in CSL play so far. Despite falling to Evanston in their first conference match 41-37 on Nov. 30, the Titans bounced back, beating Waukegan 59-24 on Dec. 4 and New Trier 54-32 on Dec. 7. The team then played a non-conference game Dec. 18 against Hersey, which they lost by a score of 37-32.

According to Weissenstein, the loss to Evanston was a good learning experience for the Lady Titans. “[The Evanston game] has taught us some things, and we’ve tried to tweak some things to get us better from the things we learned in that game,” Weissenstein said.

Both captains agree that the team’s OLDSHUES, NEW TRICKS: Handling the ball, senior captain Lindsey Oldshue looks for an open player. Oldshue, a point guard, is a member of the Lady Titans’ starting lineup, comprised of women all over six feet tall. Photo by Wyatt Richter

immediate goal is winning the conference title.

“There is a lot of great competition in our conference, but we have five capable players on the court and not just one star that we depend on,” McDonagh said.

According to Weissenstein, their conference is always one of the best in state, and it is always an exciting time during the conference season.

Although the team has had a successful start, Oldshue, McDonagh and Weissenstein agree that the team has a few key components to work on that will aid the team even more. According to McDonagh, limiting turnovers has become a priority for the team this year.

“In the tournament we did some things [poorly], but then we work on those things in practice, and hopefully the next game will take care of those errors,” Weissenstein said.

Overall, Weissenstein believes that the team’s ultimate goal should be to improve day in and day out, which he believes is the key to winning later on.

“What I always tell our girls is that we’ve just got to get better every day,” Weissenstein said. “If you get better every day, the wins take care of themselves.”

The Lady Titans last played Dec. 20 against Libertyville, a game that occurred after The Oracle went to press. They will continue their season Jan. 4 against conference rival Niles West. Their season extends through their regular season finale Feb. 2, after which they will begin postseaon play.